South Otago High School Newsletter 25th September 2020 Nga mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa Warm greetings to you all

Student Board of Trustee Representative During the last week we have managed to hold small group assemblies to enable the Student Board of Trustee nominees, Chirag Thakkar and Olivia Davidson to speak to all year groups. On Tuesday the students were given the opportunity to vote and Chirag Thakkar has been appointed as the Student Board of Trustee Representative. Head Student applications In the last two weeks I have spoken to the Year 12 students about the process of applying to be one of the head students for 2021. Applications closed this week with a high number of applications. Next term the applicants will have the opportunity to address the school after which both staff and students will vote for their preferred leaders. Based upon all the information that we have we will then shortlist and interview selected students and anticipate announcing the head students for 2021 at the senior prize giving in November. Wellbeing surveys This week we have finished the Wellbeing survey and during the holidays I will be looking at results and feedback provided by both staff and students in preparation for the development of the strategic plan for 2021-24 Uniform I would like to remind parents again that we do expect students to return next term maintaining our high expectations for school uniform. As I said in last weeks newsletter, please do not allow your child to get a piercing done which is going to breach our standards immediately prior to the start of the new term. We will not be accepting excuses for facial piercings. Finally With the end of term, I do expect students to take a break but also return for the fourth term prepared and ready to learn. For senior students, this should include sitting external standard preparation. Those students who may have counted credits and e thinking of not attempting external assessments should consider the long term benefit of practicing exams in conjunction with looking at their destination beyond high school. For junior students the two week break is a chance to catch up on missed work. If nothing else setting some time aside to prepare for end of year assessments or at the very least reading a book. Do have a safe and happy holiday and I look forward to welcoming the students back to the new term on Monday 12 October. Ka Kite Ano Mike Wright Principal

Dear Parents/Caregivers Kia Ora Tatou It was so good this week to be able to move back to Covid-19 Alert Level 1 and for us to start to return to our normal activities. However, having said that for an end of term week it has been extremely busy. Interhouse Sports The week got under way with the interhouse sports event on Monday afternoon. The weather was excellent and the participation was on the whole good. Once again a small minority opted out and were truant for the event. This is disappointing as this is an opportunity to try new sports or activities and there are a wide variety of options, enough to suit all tastes. Talent Quest Over two lunch time shows, student (and staff) performed in our own talent quest. Unfortunately, I missed the first day but did watch the second day. The quality and variety of performances was exceptional. We had students playing musical instruments, performing routines, students performing their own compositions, ballet as well as performances by both the student council and staff. The event was well supported and the student audience appreciated the quality of the performances. Well done to everyone that took part. RYDA Driver Training On Tuesday the Year 12 students participated in the RYDA driver education programme. The students that I spoke to after the event were very appreciative of the opportunity and a number said it was very informative. The school sees this programme as a benefit to our community and so has paid for this course for all Year 12 students as we believe that it is invaluable. School cross country and colour run Thursday the weather just about held for us to complete the school cross country and colour run event. This year was a different event and students have raised money for the Kids Can charity to support students who are less well off. The colour aspect was a new twist on the event and was enjoyed by those students who opted to be targeted with coloured powder. Maori Community Consultation Whilst we have completed a series of meetings around our region to gather feedback from all members of our community we are holding one final consultation meeting for parent/ whanau of students who identify as Maori. This meeting will be at 7pm on 13 October at the Balclutha Town and Country Club. A letter has been e-mailed home. If parents would like to attend please do respond so that we can ensure we cater for the event. The feedback received will contribute towards the preparation for the development of the strategic plan for 2021-24

Congratulations to the following students that have

gained Academic achievement badges for their efforts so

far this year.

Y10 Excellence

Alec Mills

Jethro Ware

Sarah Bloxham

Aimee Johnson

Georgia Milne

Breanna Uren

Y10 Merit

Lilly Campbell

Katy Gilder

Anna Lloyd

Evie Copland

Emma Bennett

Devin Thomson

Pinky Promsuwan

Charlotte Bennington

Jahnae Palmer

Eliza Non

Brayden Ferguson

Zolakmal Zulkarnain

Pagan Cross

Ingrid Scoon

Nataleah Marshall

I look forward to seeing more students gaining these badg-

es and the Merit badges being swapped for Excellence as

the year progresses.

Mr Scarth

Deputy Principal

The Sport and Cultural Photos are

online to look at and order

at www.geoffhorrell.co.nz

code is sohssc20

Visual Art Portfolio Deadlines for 2020 Visual Art students are preparing and painting lots for their Portfolio Submissions. In the photograph is Year 12 Art student - George Tabberer The deadlines for 2020 are listed below.

Year 11 Portfolio Submissions are due on Friday the 16th of October

Year 12 Portfolio Submissions are due on Friday the 30th of October

Year 13 Portfolio Submissions are due on Friday the 6th of November

Any questions please email Mrs Williams hwilliams@sohs.school.nz

Mid-Term School Board of Trustee Elections South Otago High School have vacancies for

two parent trustees. You do not need to be a parent to stand for election 1. Nomination forms will be emailed to all

parents/caregivers mid October 2. Nomination forms will also be available at

the school office. If you are interested in becoming a member of our Board of Trustees, further information is available on the website below:

https://www.trustee-election.co.nz/becoming-a-trustee/ Our current Board of Trustee Members are: Mike Beeby (Staff Representative) Paul Crawford Jules Witt (Chairperson) Angela Ferguson Bronwyn Campbell

Upcoming Events Term 4 2020

Monday 12th October………………… ................................ Start of Term 4

Friday 16th October………………… ................................... Pink Shirt Day

Monday 19th - Friday 23rd October………………… .......... Senior Practice Exams

Monday 26th October………………… ................................ Labour Day - School Closed for Instruction

Wednesday 11th November………………… ........................ Last Day for Seniors, Senior Prizegiving

Monday 16th November………………… ............................. NCEA Exams start

Friday 4th December………………… ................................. Junior Prizegiving

NCEA Exams NCEA and scholarship exams start on Monday 16 November and run through until Wednesday 9th De-cember. These exams will take place under Covid-19 alert levels 1, 2 and 3. NZQA has advised that schools are not considered gatherings so there are no restrictions on the number of students attending an examination in a single venue (such as the school hall). In all exam rooms we will ensure there is a gap of 1.5 metres between students in all directions. This provides enough distance between students, so they aren’t touching or breathing directly on each other and enables supervisors to walk safely between desks. Hand sanitiser will be available outside all exam rooms. There may be students who will be unable to attend should South Otago region be at Alert Level 3 during exams. We will let you know shortly about the support options available for students in this situation. If the region is at Alert Level 4 it is not possible to hold NCEA or New Zealand Scholarship exams be-cause school sites are required to be closed. The school has an unexpected event grade process which would be available for students prevented from sitting NCEA exams as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. Unexpected event grades are not available to New Zealand Scholarship candidates, as this is a competi-tive award. If you have any queries about NCEA and Scholarship exams please do get in touch: asmith@sohs.school.nz Amanda Smith Principal's Nominee

Exam-Prep Holiday Programme for Parents and Students Over the last 15 years, Patrick Sherratt, from Innervate Education, has been facilitating a study skills seminar in sec-ondary schools across the country called Passing Exams. Recently, Patrick condensed all his knowledge and experience into an on-line video course: ten units each with a PDF document download. The Passing Exams Online Learning Programme enables you and your teen to get access to the latest research-based strategies, tips, and tricks to help them prepare for their upcoming exams. The programme presents a 5-step “how to study” approach and within these steps, Patrick presents solutions to com-mon challenges students may experience in the lead-up to their end-of-year external exams. Included in the pro-gramme are suggestions for: how to improve concentration, reduce distractions, improve memory retention boost motivation lessen exam nerves. To get a quick overview of the programme, simply visit: http://howtopassexams.com/

Leaving School If a student is unwell at school they must come to see Mrs Wright. If they leave school

without going to see Mrs Wright they will be marked ‘e’ which is an ‘explained but not justified’ absence.

Exam Timetable

This is the practice examination timetable for the 2020 senior practice examinations. We have moved the timing of

these slightly later into the year so that they are closer to the real NCEA examinations and will provide better

preparation. We have high expectations that students take these seriously and work diligently towards them.

Our exam week also includes workshops. These are an opportunity for students to complete work on their internal

assessments. Teachers will inform students if they are to attend these workshops or not and it is an expectation that

they do so. If there is a clash between a workshop and an examination students are to attend the examination.

If students have a clash, where they have more than one examination at a time or they miss an examination they will

complete the examination at the next available time or on the Friday morning “catch up” session. If there are any

issues see Mr Scarth and alternative arrangements will be made where appropriate.

If a student does not have a workshop or an examination they are expected to be revising or completing internal

assessments at home on study leave.

Exam information

Mr Scarth will call students into the Hall before the exam starts so students need to be at the front of the school 15 minutes before their exam starts.

Students need to have their calculators, pens, pencils and other materials in a clear plastic bag. No mobile or electronic devices are allowed into the Hall so students need to think about the devices they

bring to school. Mr Scarth - Deputy Principal.

Assemble: 8.45am

Exam: 9.00am to 12.00

Workshop:

Monday 19/10

12 Maths 13 Geography

11 Art

Tuesday 20/10

11 Science

12 English

13 Chemistry

Note: some 12 Eng-lish in computer rooms

13 Art

Wednesday 21/10

12 Bio

13 English

12 Music in E1

Note: 13 English 13 in computer rooms

12 Art

Thursday 22/10

11 Maths

12 Geography

13 Statistics

13 PE

12 Maths

Friday 23/10

Catch ups

11 History

12 Chemistry

13 Calculus

Note: some 11 His-tory students in computer rooms

11 PE

Assemble: 1pm

Exam: 1.10pm to

4.10pm

Workshop:

11 English

12 History

13 Accounting

Note: some 12 History students in computer rooms

12 PE

12 Physics

13 History

12/13 DMT

11 Geography

11 Accounting

12 Accounting

13 Physics

12/13 Building 12/13 Graphics

13 Biology 19

11-12-13 Drama

12/13 Outdoor

Catch ups

Interhouse Sports

Results Thanks to our students and staff for their efforts on Wednesday in glorious sunshine. RESULTS: Basketball. Netball Somerville. McDonald Blaikie. Somerville Sutherland. Sutherland McDonald. Blaikie Football. Rugby Blaikie. Blaikie Sutherland. Somerville McDonald. McDonald Somerville. Sutherland Badminton. E-Sports Blaikie. Sutherland Somerville. Somerville Sutherland. McDonald McDonald. Blaikie Theatre Sports. Indoor Bowls Sutherland. Blaikie Blaikie. Sutherland Somerville. McDonald McDonald. Somerville

OVERALL RESULTS

Blaikie

Sutherland

Somerville

McDonald

New Zealand Chinese Language Week This week is New Zealand Chinese Languages Week. During lunchtimes different Chinese activities have been of-fered to students. Special thanks to Gigi, Rebecca and Snow our Mandarin Teachers. Helen Williams HOD Arts

Hockey The last game of the season for the SOHS 11 a-side versus Tokomairiro High School 1st XI proved to be a dis-appointing affair. After defeating Toko in our previous two encounters we were possibly a little complacent and Toko came out firing on all cylinders. We were slow to get our defensive systems going and marking was non existent. Consequently we were 2 nil down very quickly. Slowly we started to get into the game and finally mounted a few attacks into the Toko circle. Kelan Smith finished off one attack and we went into halftime 1-3 down. Unfortunately the second half was more of the same. Toko were making great inroads through the midfield and no matter what we tried we couldn't seem to contain their key players. We were also our own worst enemies at times, with poor option taking and skill execution putting us under pressure. Final score was 1-5 and full credit to Toko having completely outplayed us. Ashley Wendelgelst in goal earned player of the day with many good saves preventing the score against being much higher. Overall a reasonable season for the team fin-ishing 8th out of 10 teams in the Boys Division 2. It was a step up in grade for all players so to get 4 wins and have many competitive games was great for player development. Hopefully those returning next year will build on the experience. The 6 a-side team played on Monday night for 5th/6th position against OBHS Blue. OBHS started out strong and took the lead, but SOHS quickly caught up with three goals scored by James, Alec and Shaun. We went into half time 5-3 to OBHS. We started out strong in the second half with Shaun scoring four goals and Madox one, with the score a draw, but OBHS managed to get one more goal just as the whistle was about to go and took the game 8-7. Shaun Bennett was player of the day. It ended a good season, with the team gaining 6th place out of ten, especially after such an auspicious start at the beginning. We wish all the team a fantastic summer, and will see them next season. Shaun Bennett was top goal scorer on 14 goals for the season, followed by Madox Solomon on 13, Clay Marshall and Wyatt Mellon on seven, James Dobbie and Alec Mills on four, Breanna Uren on two. Special mention to our goalie, Memphis Cook, who ended the season much more confident in that position. Thank you to Wyatt from Toko who played in our team this year, we enjoyed your company and wish you well and look forward to meeting you in the opposition Toko team next year. See you all next season. Simon Cullen 11 a-side Jo Bennett 6 a-side Thank you to all our parent helpers who supported us throughout the season. Also a special thank you to our coaches and managers, Simon Cullen, Bronwyn Campbell, and Kelvin Maaka.

Sports Leaders Breakfast This morning Kobe Thomson, Josh Harrison, Kaya Laban, Amber Mowat and myself attended this annual event. This year Tony Brown was the guest speaker. He spoke about how he played a variety of sports in his younger days growing up in Kaitangata but eventually choosing rugby Pam Hannah Sports Coordinator

Girls 10s Final Our Junior 10s team played in the final of this division at home on Wednesday in front of our home ground on a beautiful Balclutha spring day against Queens. We won this hard fought game 39-25. All our girls made a contribution during this game. Girls Rugby Report This year our Year 9 cohort of girls has been awesome they are keen, enthusiastic and just want to have fun and play some rugby together and after all the delays with Covid etc they got to do this mid June with 7s. Unfortunately due to age restrictions and lack of senior players this year we were unable to field a First XV team which was disappointing , so both teams entered into the 10 a side competition. Our two coaches Tony Pringle and Dan Marshall have had their challenges this year but both have worked through these remarkably. Their enthusiasm and passion for the game stands out and that rubs off onto the girls. One of the girls was in my office this morning and made a comment " she liked how we could have a bit of a laugh but also switch on when needed" I want to thank our sponsors Demie Contracting and Agreeable Nature for the support they have given us in 2020 CONGRATULTIONS Keely Hill on making the Otago Spirit squad in 2020. This is an awesome achievement for a Year 12 student. Maddie Deacon, Lily Pringle and Greta Luke on making UN 18 Highlanders Girls Camp. Well done girls and enjoy this camp in the holidays. Looking forward into 2021 I have a really good feeling that "Girls Rugby" will be awesome at SOHS. Pam Hannah Girls’ Rugby

Student Support- Mental Health Awareness Week This week is Mental Health Awareness Week. The Theme is "Reimagine Well Being Together He Tiro-hanga Anamata'" This week students and staff have completed the Wellbeing@School survey. This survey is de-signed to find out opinions of our school environment and ways that we may be able to continue to support the well-being of our school community. The Mental Health Foundation's Five Ways to Wellbeing is one of the useful models that we encourage- Give our time words and presence, Be Active- Do what we can, enjoy what we do, move our mood, Keep Learning- Embrace new experiences, see opportunities and surprise ourselves, Connect- talk and listen, be there, feel connected, Take Notice Remember the simple things that bring us joy. We have certainly had plenty of these experiences this week, year and term to celebrate. Some other helpful resources I have discovered include web-sites such as https://www.viacharacter.org/ this provides an online test where students/parents can identify their char-acter strengths, interesting for self awareness, accepting differences and encouraging ourselves and others. John Kir-wan along with experts in psychology, technology and content has developed the free app Mentamia, this resource has evidence based tools aimed to help build and nurture greater wellbeing. During lockdown one of the things that I missed was the face to face daily connections and check-ins that we have with one another everyday at school. Students and staff care about one another at our school. Personal connections are important and can't be replaced by online services. We now have a wide range of services and contacts available to support students and whanau. One of the things that professionals on line do is help young people to connect with adults that they trust in their communities. Parents/caregivers, school staff and other students all have important roles to play in helping us to feel connected and develop a sense of belonging. Best wishes for the holiday period when, hopefully, we can all spend some time resting, recharging and replenishing our energy for the new term. Healthline 0800 611 116 If you are feeling unwell and need advice 1737 free text or call a professional counsellor 24/7 https://1737.org.nz/ Netsafe 0508Netsafe for help with online concerns, report these online or call for assistance. https://www.netsafe.org.nz/ The mental health foundation resources and support for wellbeing https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/ Youthline 0800 376 633 free text 234 e mail talk@youthline.co.nz https://www.youthline.co.nz/ Parent helpline- all issues/all ages 7 days a week 0800 568 856 Cath Bloxham Guidance Counsellor